Computing devices, communication devices, imaging devices, electronic devices, accessories, or other types of peripheral devices designed to be worn or attached to a user (denoted as wearables or wearable devices) are becoming very popular. Wearables can be considered to be a form of mobile device. Mobile phones with headsets or earbud accessories, the Google® Glass™ wearable computer, and garments with embedded phones or music players are examples of such wearables or mobile devices.
The wearable's device market space is expected to substantially grow in the coming years. A good portion of these devices will be wearable's that are designed directly into or onto an article of clothing; because, the device will need to be connected to a series of sensors that are woven into the clothing itself. However, using current technology, if the user of an article of clothing wants to upgrade/repair/replace the wearable that is embedded into their clothing, the user would have to buy a brand new article of clothing.
Adhesive fibers, touch fasteners, or hook and loop fasteners are more commonly known by their brand name, Velcro®. Velcro® brand fasteners work well for binding items together and provide a high level of retention force while still being readily removable. A form of conductive Velcro® is also available in the current marketplace. Conventional conductive Velcro® comprises a hook and loop mechanism that conducts electricity. Conductive Velcro® is manufactured using woven nylon material impregnated with silver for electrical conduction. Existing solutions use conductive Velcro® to integrate soft electrical switches into fabrics or soft-goods products.
Other known solutions involve hard case components with binding retention systems that are both bulky and a source of product failure. For example, a current product, the internally illuminated child's pillow, includes a battery case that is large, bulky, and the device is hard to access. Other known solutions bind fasteners directly to a printed circuit (PC) board. However, these systems are also bulky and a source of product failure.